Various forms of implants for dental prosthesis are known in the prior art including screws, needles and blades upon which artificial teeth may be supported in the oral cavity following insertion of the implant into the bony structure which normally supports the natural teeth. The prior art devices all possess certain disadvantages such as excessive cost, complexity of construction and difficulty of implantation into bone. These difficulties require the use of different types and shapes of implants for different regions of the jaws to accommodate variations in bone thickness. Also appreciable surgical trauma may result from the implantation procedures of the prior art.
Therefore, the objective of this invention is to improve on the known prior art by providing a more economical, convenient and more versatile endosseal implant for dental prosthesis, the use of which lessens surgical trauma. Essentially, the same implant structure can be used at all points along the dental arch and variations in bone thickness do not detract from the efficiency of the implant.
Various features of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.